Getting ready for Warsaw's Big Week

Sunday evening, back from the działka to meet my father and daughter off the London flight. A group of volunteers are also waiting to greet Warsaw Uprising veterans who are flying in from around the world to take part in the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of its outbreak.

This year, being a round anniversary, the City of Warsaw is paying for return flights for each veteran wishing to attend, plus carer, and hotel stay for the week for veteran and carer (in adjoining rooms). All very well organised. Here we are, just arrived in Dziadzio's room at the four-star Golden Tulip. It's very well located for the Uprising museum and ul. Filtrowa, where Dziadzio lived before the war and during the occupation.

My father had been asked to do a piece to camera for the Warsaw Uprising Museum (below). This ended up lasting two hours. The questions were posed by a historian rather than a journalist, so the questioning was less directed, more archival in nature, recording his memories in unfiltered form.

This morning, we set off on foot to the first major event of the week, the opening ceremony officiated by the mayor of Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski. My father insists on pushing his wheelchair the first kilometre and half. Here we are, crossing Aleje Jerozolimskie. Everything along this stretch of road has changed since he was a boy - literally nothing prewar has survived from Plac Zawiszy to Plac Starynkiewicza.

We walk past the entrance to Warsaw's water filtration plant, from which the area (Filtry) gets its name; my father never realised before the war just what a huge area of the city the plant occupies.

We arrive in Teatr Nowy on ulica Madalińskiego for the grand opening, the music is from a Most excellent band, Warszawski Combo Taneczny. The music was so emotionally powerful that both my father and I shed many tears; this is authentic Warsaw street music from before and during the war played with great intelligence and period detail.

Below: my father's friend and fellow Ealing resident, Pan Ryszard, exchanges a few words with mayor Trzaskowski. Behind them, the band relaxes after their performance.

Cheers! Let's hope everything goes well.

This time two years ago:
What makes scenery scenic?

This time three years ago:
Theresa May flies into Warsaw

This time four years ago:
Announcing the start of the Radom railway line modernisation

This six years ago:
In praise of the (Polish-built) Fiat 500 

This time seven years ago:
Llanbedrog Beach and a farewell to North Wales

This time eight years ago:
To the Polish seaside, by night train

This time nine years ago: 
Accounting for the past - 20 years on from PRL's fall

This time ten years ago:
An introduction to fine British cheefef

This time 12 years ago:
Over the Peaks by bus